Alcohol & fluid affects on incontinence recovery

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I an a 60 year old man that had a radical prostatectomy this July. After seven weeks my surgeon released me to do most physical activity, which includes lifting weights/cardio at the gym, riding my boat, doing all my lawn maintenance and most other activities excluding riding on a hard bicycle seat. I'm in very good shape for my age and have been doing my Kegel exercises as prescribed.

Three months post surgery and I have minimal to barely moderate improvement in my bladder control. I have never leaked sitting or lying flat, but usually drip when standing for any length of time. There are occasionally good days with little to no leaking, but only once or twice a week.

My question is concerning alcohol/beer and other fluid consumption and their affects on recovery. I drink one coffee a day, one sports drink on weekdays and several on weekend days, no beer Sunday through Thursday, but lots of beer on the weekend...8 or 9 Friday and Saturday. Could any men recovering from prostate surgery, and who are beer drinkers share your experiences? Were you instructed not to drink, or drink very little? Do any of you drink moderately or slightly more and how did that level of consumption affect your recovery? Web MD and other sites tell you that coffee, tea, alcohol, acidic juice like orange juice and other liquids cause bladder irritation. I'm hoping to hear from people on this forum to see if those liquids always cause problems, are they short term while consuming the product or do they lead to long term interference with recovery.

Thank you.

 

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@Cyrusw,

I am 59 years old and had the same surgery in May. I am 5 months post-surgery. I struggled for a while in giving up caffeine, but once I did, I saw a dramatic improvement with incontinence. I am also doing PT, with emphasis on Kegels combined with various exercises. So my suggestion would be to drop as much caffeine as possible (maybe one cup per week), and see if you can get into a PT program. It really helps.

 

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I too see a difference when I cut caffeine, but I have not been able to give up alcohol yet. I love my beer in the garage each evening.

 

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@cyrusw Alcohol *dramatically* exacerbates urine frequency and quantity - even just a few sips. I’d give it up if I were you; I did, as did most on this forum. I limit my coffee intake to 1 cup per day, no later than 11:00 a.m. so it’s totally out of my system by bedtime - I have Nocturnal Enuresis. I only have coffee 1-2 times per week. I used to drink it every morning. Avoiding it definitely decreases urine output, just like alcohol - though alcohol is much worse than coffee. My job often requires that I work 18-22 hour long days. During those weeks, I definitely have to drink coffee every day. But I’ve had to work less the past couple of weeks and haven’t drank any coffee.

I’ve seen others on the forum report that caffeine and carbonation in soda increase their urination. I don’t get an energy boost whatsoever from caffeine in sodas, nor do they increase my urine output - phew! I’m trying to get off soda nonetheless, for all the other health effects.

Hope this helps.

 

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I had Prostate Surgery about 4 years ago. I had post op Radiation shortly after. Also Cyberknife Radiation recently. Incontinence began about 3 months ago.
I drink 2 cups of decaf every day. Soft drinks and Wine. Yes, symptoms are slightly worse but worth it to me...at least at this stage.

 

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cyrusw, congrats on the three-month mark! I'm 58 and having just crossed the six-month mark I'm finally feeling like I'm getting the hang of it. For me, it wasn't until the 4 1/2 months that I started making noticeable progress. One of my revelations is beer equals volume. Yes, it's alcohol, but when I started totaling ounces, I started changing my approach. Beer when the sun is out and bourbon or nothing in the evening.

Pretty early on I gave up my 3 cups of hot coffee. I found the caffeine and the acid that comes with hot coffee to be too much for my bladder control. I switched to making my own decaf cold brew and I've never looked back. Even with that switch, I found I could consume 24-32 once in a matter of a couple of hours... again volume is not my friend.

Hang in there, it's a journey.

 

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I'm so grateful so many people responded to my questions so quickly! I was told by people in my local community that incontinence is a club you never want to be in, but once your are you will find the other members are very supportive.

Thanks again.

 

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Cyrus background first. I’m 4.8 years post RRP at 74.8 years. Still leaking about 1-2/day according to activity. Better than the alternative as I’m still at <0.1 undetectable PSA.

Walk 4-5 desert miles every other day, power yoga/weights 3Xwk, and xeriscaping 2-3/wk. This often requires 2 and sometimes 3 pads depending upon heat often 110-115 for 2-3 months. Requires lots of water. I do Kegels all the time-while walking, weight lifting, etc., to get pelvic floor engaged.

Did not find PT of much assistance other than a digital-recital exam to determine if I was Kegeling right muscles, giving me dietary handouts.

Been vegetarian for 45 years so weight is good along with diet. Drinking of alcohol and acids obviously irritates bladder, etc., but I’m unwilling to give up juices, acidic fruits, and a couple of glasses of Riesling per week.

Have accepted incontinence-major issue-as it doesn’t interfere with my living life. However, ED is harder-no pun intended-as I miss relations with beautiful wife of 48 years. I’ve been using pump/ring with success, as penis shrank about 1” after surgery (not forewarned by urologist). Works well more for girth than length. About to be trained in tri-mix with pump as needed. Have conquered fear of self-injection into penis.

Your much younger age should help your recovery. In the 3 years on this forum site, I have heard very few claim to be without any leakage. Could be self-selection process of guys with difficulties. I’ve also heard that urologists define continence post RRP as needing a pad/day.